The present invention relates to a disc player for use at the time of playback of a compact disc, and more particularly to a drive switching mechanism of a disc player for conducting switching between disc transporting means and pickup transporting means.
Conventionally, as such a type of disc player, namely, as a disc player having a configuration in which playback of a disc is conducted after the disc is transported to a predetermined portion by a tray or roller, that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-272417 has been known. This type of disc player, as show in FIG. 7, generally comprises: a disc gear train 52 for transporting a disc 51 along an inserting direction A and an ejecting direction B; a driving motor 53 for disc transportation for driving the disc gear train 52; a pickup gear train 55 for transporting an optical pickup 54 along an outward direction C and an inward direction D of the radial direction of the disc; and a driving motor 56 for pickup transportation for driving the pickup gear train 55.
As described above, in the conventional disc player, since driving motors 53, 56 are individually provided for disc transportation and pickup transportation, the number of parts are increased to give rise to increase of the cost, and in addition, it becomes difficult to downsize the entire structure because spaces for installation are required.
Therefore, the present invention has been contrived in view of the above disadvantage, and the object of the present invention is to provide a disc player configured to be capable of reducing the cost, as well as realizing downsizing of the entire structure.
A disc player according to the present invention comprises: a single rotation driving source having a transmission gear for transmitting a rotation driving force to the outside and capable of rotating in both directions; disc transporting means for transporting a disc along an inserting direction when the rotation driving source rotates in one direction and transporting the disc along an ejecting direction when the rotation driving source rotates in the other direction; pickup transporting means for transporting an optical pickup along an outward direction of the radial direction of the disc when the rotation driving source rotates in one direction and transporting the optical pickup along an inward direction of the radial direction of the disc when the rotation driving source rotates in the other direction; and a drive switching mechanism for switching between the disc transporting means and the pickup transporting means to connect the switched one to the rotation driving source. The drive switching mechanism includes: an oscillating member provided so as to be capable of oscillating about an axial position as same as that of the transmission gear; a switching gear provided on the tip end side of the oscillating member to be transmissible connected with the disc transporting means, while being transmissibly connected to the disc transporting means on one end side of an oscillation track of the oscillating member and being transmissible connected to the pickup transporting means on the other end side of the oscillation track of the oscillating member; oscillation preventing means for preventing oscillation of the oscillating member during operation of either the disc transporting means or the pickup transporting means; and an intermediating member to be engaged with the switching gear to assist oscillation of the oscillating member during when the oscillating member lies in its tracks, the switching gear being configured so as to rotate in the direction of separating from the disc transporting means when the rotation driving source rotates in one direction and to rotate in the direction of separating from the pickup transporting means when the rotation driving source rotates in the other direction, the oscillation preventing means being configured to be engaged with the oscillating member to prevent oscillation of the oscillating member during operation of either the disc transporting means or the pickup transporting means in synchronous with these transporting means.
Employing this configuration makes it possible to drive the disc transporting means and the pickup driving means by a single rotation driving source. In addition, the drive switching mechanism for switching transmission object of the rotation driving source can be configured by such a relatively simple structure comprising the oscillating member oscillating by a driving force of the rotation driving source; the switching gear provided on the tip end side of the oscillating member; the oscillation preventing means; and the intermediating member.
Furthermore, providing the intermediating member allows assure oscillating operation of the oscillating member so that it is possible to switch the transmission object of the rotation driving source with high accuracy. Furthermore, the operation of disconnecting the switching gear transmissibly connected to either the disc transporting means or pickup transporting means to thereby shift to the oscillating operation can be easily and reliably conducted by controlling the direction of rotation of the switching gear. Furthermore, since the oscillating member is rigidly fixed so as not to oscillate during operation of the disc transporting means or the pickup transporting means, transmission of a driving force with respect to these transporting means are secured.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned improved disc player, the intermediating member is a gear constituting part of an internal gear rotating about an axial position as same as that of the transmission gear. In this case, the oscillating member of which oscillation is assisted by the intermediating member can oscillate and move smoothly and reliably.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned improved disc player, the intermediating member is supported so as to be movable along the direction of movement of the switching gear. In this case, a shock occurring at the time when the switching gear and the intermediating member are brought into engagement is absorbed by movement of the intermediating member, so that the oscillation of the oscillating member becomes more smooth.
A concrete configuration of the oscillation preventing means is as follows. That is, the oscillation preventing means may be configured by comprising: first and second hook engagement portions provided in the oscillating member; a first hook member oscillatably provided on one side of the oscillation track of the oscillating member; a second hook member oscillatably provided on the other side of the oscillation track of the oscillating member; a slider which starts moving in accordance with reaching of the disc having transported along the inserting direction to a playback position; a first oscillating member engaging portion provided on one end of the first hook member, to be engaged with the first hook to hold the oscillating member in accordance with that the switching gear is transmissibly connected to the disc transporting means; a slider engagement portion provided on the other end of the first hook member, to be engaged with the slider having been moved to cause the first hook member to oscillate in the direction that the first oscillating member engagement portion separates from the first hook engagement portion; a second oscillating member engagement portion provided on one end of the second hook member, to be engaged with the second-hook engagement portion in accordance with that the switching gear is transmissibly connected to the pickup transporting means; a pickup engagement portion provided on the other end of the second hook member, to be engaged with the optical pickup having been moved inwardly in the radial direction of the disc by the pickup transporting means to cause the second hook member to oscillate in the direction that the second oscillating member engagement portion separates from the second hook engagement portion; a first energizing member for energizing oscillation of the first hook member in the direction that the first oscillating member engagement portion comes into engagement with the first hook engagement portion; and a second hook energizing member for energizing oscillation of the second hook member in the direction that the second oscillating member engagement portion comes into engagement with the second hook engagement portion.